Inertia

Posted on April 4, 2023 by J

This meme or whatever has nothing to do with anything at all, and neither does my post. I’m just trying to be here. I’m frustrated with blogging right now, because I can’t leave comment on so many of your blogs (via my iPad) and it doesn’t really feel safe to use my work computer. I need to try Ted’s desktop, perhaps that is the solution. And to be clear, I don’t have trouble leaving comments on ALL of your blogs, just some, but somehow the knowledge that I am having trouble sometimes seems to have stymied me from even READING any blogs lately. I’m just playing stupid games on my iPad and ignoring you all. Sigh. So, in an effort to be more active, here I am with some pictures and maybe some words to go with them.

The end of March was Maya’s birthday, and she shared her birthday party with her ‘niece’, Sloan, who turned one 9 days earlier. I say ‘niece’ because Maya is an only child and says since she won’t have any nieces or nephews of her own, she is co-opting Sloan. Sloan is Ted’s cousin’s daughter, so maybe Maya’s 2nd cousin once removed? I never remember that stuff. Anyway, we had a great time. My contribution to the food was a cheese board and a few other snacks, including these delicious peppers stuffed with goat cheese. Picture is not mine, it is from the website where I got the recipe, which I saw on Suzanne’s blog, Life of Doctor’s Wife. I didn’t take a picture of my cheese board either, but it was a hit, as were these delicious (and ridiculously easy) peppers.

Since Maya is the aunt and much older, she is likely going to have more control over what kind of cake and menu for joint parties, at least for the foreseeable future. Certainly this year, as Sloan’s parents are hoping to keep her away from sugar until she is 2. So we all ate cake right in front of her, and because she didn’t know any better, she didn’t care. Pretty cake though. It’s chocolate with cream cheese frosting.

What else is going on…well, I took a half day off from work last week and went to linner (late lunch, early dinner) with some friends from my hotel days. I worked in hotels from ages 18 to about 28, 7 of those years at a big hotel in San Francisco, and I still keep in touch with a few of my coworkers from that time. 2 of them still work in the industry, which means weekends are generally not options for getting together. We went to one of my very favorite Italian pasta restaurants, Belotti in Oakland, which I wrote about the last time I was there. Their mushroom pasta is so incredibly delicious, though not vegetarian, as it has a beef reduction. And the salad. So simple, so good. It was so lovely to get caught up with these dear friends. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures.

Speaking of pasta and good friends, this coming Friday I am getting together with my darling friend Neva, and we are going to a newish place in my part of the Bay Area, Montesacro. It is a very small chain of restaurants…they have 1 location in Brooklyn, 2 in San Francisco, and now 1 here in Walnut Creek. The last time I got together with my hotel friends, we went to one of their San Francisco locations, and we had the Cacio E Pepe, which is a very simple Roman (I think) dish of pasta, cheese, and black pepper. I am sure there is salt in there as well, and likely pasta water to make the sauce delicious and creamy. I loved it so, so much. I’ve been curious about this dish for awhile, but I was afraid to try it until we went to a really authentic type restaurant. I kind of hoped to have some in Italy, but I didn’t see any on the menus in the region we visited for our one afternoon. We were on the border of France, North Western Italy, and I have read this is a Roman dish. Anyway, I am excited about having it again (and seeing Neva, of course!)

OK, that’s all I have for now. Seems like there should be more. But gosh, if it turns out there is more, perhaps I can write about it, right? In the meantime, I’m going to try to be better about coming by your place.

Thursday 13 – What J’s been up to

Posted on March 23, 2023 by J

In an effort to get motivated and back to blogging from my unintentional hiatus, here are 13 things I’ve been up to lately.

Reading books. I found a book on my nightstand, The Midnight Library, and for the life of me I can’t remember where I got it. Was it a gift? Did I buy it? Did I find it in a Little Free Library? I don’t think so. I suspect I bought it at a bookstore and put it on my little shelf and forgot about it. Anyway, I mentioned it in a prior post, when I started reading it. I liked it a lot. I liked it so much, I read it again. I sometimes do that with audio books, but I don’t often finish a physical book and turn around and read it again, but for some reason this one was just what I needed, so I re-read it. It’s about regret and learning to be kind to yourself. I think we could all use that lesson sometimes. The picture above is a very short chapter that I liked a lot.
After I finished The Midnight Library, I decided to listen to another book by the same author, Matt Haig. So I went through the Libby app and listened to How to Stop Time. I liked this one a lot as well. This is the story of Tom Hazard, who has an extremely rare condition that means he ages extremely slowly. He was born in the late 1500s, and as of perhaps 2015, he appears to be in his early 40s. I won’t tell too much more, except to say that I really liked this book as well. I think I need to listen to another book of his, The Humans.
While down with COVID (we’re all testing negative now and feeling fine, yay!) I watched a few movies. I watched Sleepless in Seattle, which is one of those movies that I can watch any time, but gosh I don’t know why I like it so much. Annie is just a horrible person, and I suspect the reason Walter is perfectly OK that she breaks up with him at an incredibly romantic restaurant, with a bottle of Dom Perignon on the table, right after he gives her his mother’s engagement ring, on Valentine’s Day…he is OK with all of this bullshit because he realizes he has just dodged a bullet. What an ass she is. I also watched Pretty Woman and Footloose. Why? Because I like stupid ass movies with problematic plots, I guess. Well, Footloose doesn’t really have a problematic plot. It’s just fun. Then I redeemed myself, to myself, by watching Out of Africa, which is another movie I could watch any time, I love it so much. So lyrical. I considered watching Babbette’s Feast and The Company, because I have them on DVD and I love them, but I wasn’t feeling up to digging around for DVDs I guess.
This last Sunday, I was feeling well and finally tested negative, so I celebrated by going out and spending a bunch of money. Recovering from COVID can be expensive, I guess. I bought some flowers for my tiny yard, and a trellis for my clematis to grow up. It had one last year, but I moved that one this winter to another plant, and now that the clematis is sprouting it needed a new one. I bought some fancy shampoo and conditioner at Ulta. I went to the Indian grocery store and bought my favorite tea (Tetley). I can’t really find it anywhere else. I bought some cute outfits for Ted’s cousin’s daughter, who just turned 1, and who will have a joint birthday party with my daughter on Saturday. I bought a couple of things for Maya’s birthday too.
Oh, in the ‘wow, isn’t this fun’ category, I got an MRI on Monday. My balance issue comes and goes, and is MUCH better, but I had to wait 2 months for this appointment, so it made sense to keep it. Have you ever had an MRI? Here is a video about the process, and if you want to hear the crazy sounds that go on, they start at about 2:53. Happily, my MRI results were normal, nothing to worry about. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks with a neurologist, and after that, back to my ENT. My suspicion, after talking to a few people, is that this is just something fun that I get to deal with sometimes for the rest of my life, and it is most likely related to my sinuses and (very) occasional migraines.
Also on Monday was Mulder’s next follow up visit. Again, happily, all is well, he is still in remission. He is much more of his normal self, since he finished his chemo about 2 1/2 months ago. Yay! What a sweet boy he is.
I’m sure you’ve seen on the news that California is having a wild winter. I think I am ready to say ‘enough rain’. Long time readers know it takes a LOT to get that out of me, but at this point I’m worried about levy failures as the record snow pack melts. And the wind…we’ve had a couple of really crazy windy days, with lots of trees down everywhere you go. We’re just not used to this much wind, especially with saturated ground, and our trees can’t handle it. It’s sad. Of course even more sad is the people who have died or lost their homes due to trees falling.
In the ‘isn’t it fun to get older’ category, I hurt my rib by stretching to get a back scratcher. I mean, how does one even do that? I was sitting on the couch watching TV, and it was in a little basket on the floor, and I reached over the arm of the couch, and couldn’t quite reach, so pushed into the arm, and suddenly felt a sharp pain. Did I crack it? Tiny little hairline fracture? I don’t know. It’s been a couple of days now and it still hurts, but not nearly as much as it did at the beginning. Years ago I cracked a rib falling off of a horse, and my doctor said the only way to treat it is with time, so I’m mostly ignoring it.
We just finished watching Invasion on Apple TV+. That was REALLY intense. I guess it came out in 2021, so we’re behind on that one. Which isn’t bad actually, because it means we got to binge it. I’m ready for season 2 though.
Did you watch ‘The Last of Us‘? The third episode was some beautiful TV, and I loved it so much I had to watch it twice. The final episode just broke my heart and made me wish I had never watched any of it. Except perhaps episode 3. Apparently that final episode is pretty true to the game on which it is based, and fans of the game are very divided on the whole thing. I can see why.
What else are we watching…we’re currently enjoying Star Trek, Picard. If you’re a fan at all, this season (supposed to be the final season) is really good. We’re still enjoying Shrinking. We’re watching old episodes of Parks and Recreation. We seem to have stopped watching Poker Face, but I think we’ll get back into that soon.
Not doing yoga. I stopped when I got sick with COVID, and then the following week was the beginning of the idiocy that is Daylight Saving, and I haven’t gotten back to it yet. I think I’m going to give it a go next week, though I’ll be careful and make sure I don’t aggravate my rib.
Not reading blogs. Something about not writing here means I’m not really reading either. I hope to turn that around in the next day or so. I was supposed to get together with my friend Neva earlier this month, which was pushed back to tomorrow due to our COVID. Then a couple of hours ago she sent me a text to say her sister is sick and can’t watch her son, so we are postponing again. So tomorrow we’ll probably have a Facetime or phone chat, and we’ll try again to get together for pasta and wine in a couple of weeks. But I should have some time to pop around to your blogs I hope. You would think I could do that in the evening while watching TV, but I have trouble commenting on so many of your blogs using my iPad, so it means I have to use another computer, which is only upstairs, blah blah blah. Hang in there. I miss you.

Covid Update – On the Mend

Posted on March 10, 2023 by J

The picture above crossed my mind this week, with all of us down with Covid at the same time.

Thankfully this was not our experience at all. Ted was past the worst of it by the time Maya and I were down. None of us got all that sick, though being sick is never fun. We all took varying amounts of time off from work, we all worked some from home, none of us had to go anywhere. Ted’s parents cooked us dinner one night. His brother brought us lunch another day. We ate leftovers and got curbside pickup at the grocery store. A kind neighbor sought out the sore throat lozenges we needed from the store one day (I guess sore throats are going around, she went to 5 stores before finding them!) We are not entirely better, but we are all very much on the mend. Ted was able to go back to the office today. Mulder and I went for a bit of a Fabulous Friday walk…we were about an hour in, and I realized I was starting to feel tired, so we came home.

I’ve been lazy, watching movies and old TV shows. I haven’t been doing much blog reading or commenting. Seems like this would have been a good time for it, but somehow it felt like cheating to me to blog when taking sick time from work. That makes no sense at all.

I hope you’re all well, and I will come by and say hello SOON.

Meme Monday – Covid Edition

Posted on March 6, 2023 by J

Well, Ted tried his best to keep us safe, but our house is just too small, and Covid is too virulent. I tested positive Sunday morning, and Maya tested positive this morning. I feel like we’re at different phases, with Ted on the mend, me in the midst of it, and Maya on the decline. Mostly it feels like a head cold. At this point, all we can do is stay away from everyone else, and hope none of us have long Covid. I am very thankful for grocery delivery and curbside pickup. Early in the pandemic, in the lock down phase, it felt selfish to me. Like, “I’m not willing to put myself at risk by going in there, you do it.” And generally I don’t like having someone else pick out my produce. But clearly when we’re all sick, we won’t be going inside. So I’m grateful for these services. Also grateful for the vaccines, that keep symptoms relatively mild for most people, and that there are treatments available if you do get sick. Back in 2020 and 2021, getting Covid felt really scary, but now it feels more like a nuisance.

We had curbside pickup yesterday, and we bought some broccoli crowns. Ted loved how big and lush this one was, and decided it looked like a bouquet. Doesn’t he look happy to have won ‘Mr. Broccoli 2023’?

Lastly, a belated happy Grammar Day to you all.

Current Situation

Posted on March 3, 2023 by J

Today is my Fabulous Friday, which was supposed to be spent with my friend Neva, trying out a new pasta place downtown, drinking some wine, walking and talking and catching up. Then Ted started feeling poorly, and took a COVID test on Wednesday. You can tell by my tone that he tested positive. Sigh. Neva’s son is high risk for lung issues, and has been hospitalized a couple of times with COVID, and we are trying to avoid that happening again. So we have postponed, we’ll get together in a few weeks instead.

At times like these, I wish we had a guest bedroom. As it is, Ted is wearing his mask in the house whenever Maya or I are in the room with him. He’s sleeping on the sofa. Maya is working from home. So far, Maya and I feel fine and are still testing negative. Ted felt blah on Wednesday, more crummy yesterday (fever, chills, coughing), and today was feeling well enough to go on a socially distanced walk with Mulder and me. We are going from a pretty busy weekend to a pretty quiet one. I was getting together with Neva, Ted was going to get together with some coworkers, Maya was going to get together with some friends. We were all supposed to go to a party on Sunday. Sigh.

So, instead of getting together with Neva, I did our taxes today. (Thanks Stephany, for reminding me about taxes…just by posting that you had done yours already.) I was sure we were going to owe, with Ted’s new job and the fact that my withholding was off for a couple of paychecks when my company switched providers, but we are breaking even, even with the fees to TurboTax. So YAY!

Back to COVID talk. I was thinking that if Neva didn’t have a high risk son, I might have gotten together with her anyway, since I am without any symptoms and testing negative. I felt like if Maya still wanted to get together with her friends, she could do so, as long as everyone was OK with that. (She’s going to have a zoom get-together with them instead, very 2020) Of course we wouldn’t get together with anyone who is high risk, we would wear masks in public (as we always do), and we would make sure everyone involved was OK with it. How about you? If someone besides you in your household tested positive for COVID, at this stage when there are vaccines and treatments, would you cancel everything? Or perhaps go out anyway, and just be cautious?

PSA – Girl Scouts

Posted on March 2, 2023 by J

Girl Scouts Troop 6000 is a program designed to help girls living in temporary housing in the New York City shelter system. Each week, Girl Scouts meet in shelters across the city to take part in activities, make friends, earn badges, and learn leadership skills.

Girl Scouts is a wonderful program, and my daughter and many of her friends from Elementary School gained a lot from being able to participate. I am so glad that this troop exists for girls who might not normally have that opportunity.

If you would like to buy some cookies and have them shipped to you, you can do so here. If you don’t want any cookies, or prefer to buy them closer to home, you can still donate to this troop, and either have all of the money go to their fundraising, or have them donate their cookies to NYC food banks. Personally, as the mother of a girl who sold cookies for 10 years, I never need to have another.

Catching Up

Posted on February 27, 2023 by J

It looks like I took a little blog break there. I’m back today, and have a few minor tidbits to share. First off, this is the same beautiful magnolia/tulip tree that I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. It’s downtown, and likely the next time I walk around the area, it will be bare. We’re having rain again, after a very dry period, which is welcome, but I imagine will knock down most of these blooms.

Saturday morning, Maya had an appointment to get her hair done. I dropped her off and then walked around our little downtown for awhile. I like to explore, and went down a little alleyway that I have never visited before. Imagine my surprise when I came across a harp store! I had no idea we had a harp store around here. I had no idea that there was enough demand for harps to keep such a store in business. Color me thrilled, though I will never need their services, as I do not play harp and do not really have room for one either.

Usually when I walk downtown in the morning, Mulder is with me. This time, he was with Ted, who was taking him for a bath so he could look handsome for Ted’s brother’s birthday later that day. So I was on my own, and had a chance to stop in a local bakery. Ever since my trip to France last year, I have been intrigued by the bread and croissants at this place, and wondered how they might compare. So I stopped in and ordered a croissant, after being assured that they had some lovely jam that I could eat with it. In case you have forgotten the croissants that I had in France, here is a reminder.

I should have known something was going to go wrong when I asked for some jam, and was offered a little serving of grape jelly. No raspberry, no orange, no strawberry. Just grape. No butter was offered either. Nevertheless, I persisted, and gave the croissant a try. My review? It was good. It was much better than I would find at my local grocery store. But it was too bready, and the beautiful lacquer that I found on the French croissants was lacking. Sigh. So I won’t have any problem resisting that temptation going forward.

I’m going to have more trouble resisting the amazing cheese straws that I made for the birthday party. There they are standing up in the glass behind the amazing charcuterie plate on the appetizer table. If you are a fan of cheez-its, these are similar, just homemade without all of that processing. So good. Copying and pasting the recipe from Smitten Kitchen here, so I can’t lose it. I could get in some serious trouble with these, they were, as my MIL would say, “More-ish”.

Cheese Straws
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon half-and-half (I used cream, because I had it on hand; suspect milk would work just as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though I lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.

4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

5. Serve at room temperature. Cheese straws will keep in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for two days. They will not last an hour at a party.
Smitten Kitchen

And here we have a little bonus photo, because it’s always nice to have a picture of Mulder. This is from our walk in our favorite local park on Friday morning. We had planned to go visit my cousin in Sacramento, but the weather forecast was for rain and wind, so we stayed closer to home. It didn’t really rain much here, I think we could have gone, though she said it was pretty windy there. I am a big baby and don’t really like driving on freeways in the rain, because people drive like idiots. Our local mountain did get some beautiful snow, though none down at our level. I tried to take some pictures, but they didn’t come out all that well. Instead, look at this beautiful photo, found on a local news page.

By the way, today’s ‘to do’ list again includes ‘no chips’, because last week I went without any ‘to do’ lists, just forged ahead through my days. Guess what, I bought chips almost every day. I also did zero yoga. Clearly I need the accountability of a list. So here I am, back on the wagon.

Salad Bar

Posted on February 17, 2023 by J

Do you really need a recipe for salad with chicken? Probably not. But anyway, here is how I sometimes serve chicken and salad, and I call it a salad bar. This way, we can all have just what we want, and nothing we don’t. I like my salad fully dressed, so I take my portion and put it in a mixing bowl, toss it with dressing, and then put it on my plate. Ted and Maya aren’t as picky as I am, so they just put some dressing on top of their salad and call it done. Here’s a list of the options we had this time.

Butter Lettuce with Green Onions (green onions are not optional I guess, because I mix them in with the lettuce)
Roasted Chicken Breast
Fake Chicken, sauteed
Beets (I am the only one who eats these, so just a small bowl)
Croutons (Maya and I both like these, but we were almost out, so just a small bowl)
Marinated Artichoke Hearts (These are in a bowl, if I mix them with anything, it ends up kind of slimy the next day.)
Mushrooms
Cucumber – I like English Cucumbers, because the skin is thinner.
Yellow Bell Pepper – I don’t like green bell peppers. I do like a colorful salad.
Asparagus – I added this because they looked good, so tiny and thin. My hometown used to be known for its asparagus, but a lot of farmers are being pushed out of business due to competition from Mexican asparagus. Sad.
Grape tomatoes
Avocado
Homemade Roquefort Dressing
Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

What am I missing? What would you put on your salad bar?

Next Door Neighbor

Posted on February 16, 2023 by J

We came across a video of the top dogs from the 2022 Westminster Kennel Club Masters the other day, and just fell in love with this dog, whose name is ‘Bee’, but whom we call ‘Next Door Neighbor’. All Shetland Sheepdogs, in our mind, are named either ‘Mommy’ or ‘Next Door Neighbor’, which is a throwback to our sweet girl, Genevieve, who was half Sheltie, half Keeshond (which is Mulder’s breed).

Anyway, if you need a smile, watch ‘Next Door Neighbor’ do her thing with SO MUCH ABSOLUTE JOY. I love her so much.

Wordless Wednesday – Current Situation

Posted on February 15, 2023 by J

Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 14, 2023 by J

Miscellaneous Monday

Posted on February 13, 2023 by J

I don’t know what to write about today, so I’m going to just throw a bunch of stuff at you. Here goes.

Regarding the meme above, this is how I felt when we were in France last year. The names of the towns we stayed in were pronounced completely differently than they looked to my American eyes. Mougins is pronounced ‘MOO-jan‘ with a soft j, short a, and a soft n. Click the link to hear. Vincennes is a little closer to how it looks, VA-sen, with a short A. One of the stops on our train ride between Paris and Vincennes is Nation, pronounced NA-si-on, with all short vowels. My pronunciation of French should be illegal it is so horrific. But I adore France so much, I hope to go back many times.

It’s Monday, and pretty soon I need to go to the grocery store. As you know, I go almost every day. I think I know what I am going to make this week. Here’s what I have so far:

Monday – Red Lentil Soup with Warm Spices – I will also cook some chicken for Ted to add to his soup. Maya and I will have it with some French bread. I’m toying with the idea of adding some spinach, which I haven’t tried before.
Tuesday – I’m thinking Turkey Meatloaf for Ted and me (old post, picture is broken, sorry). I haven’t yet decided what I will make for Maya. Perhaps I’ll make her some fake turkey meatloaf, maybe an impossible burger patty with the same sides we have, or maybe I’ll just go rogue and make her some pasta. Or grilled cheese, she loves grilled cheese. I could put some pear inside it, which would be delicious. Hmmm.
Wednesday – I think I’ll make this White Bean Tuna Salad. It goes into heavy rotation around here, because it is delicious, it is healthy, and it is easy. Also not too spendy, though I do splurge and get imported tuna. Maya is mostly vegetarian, but loves tuna and will eat this, so I don’t need to make a separate dish.
Thursday – I like to roast a couple of chicken breasts in my toaster oven, and make a green salad. Maya will have her salad with fake chicken (which we call ‘ficken’) I have some homemade Roquefort dressing that is delicious on chicken and salad, though my favorite balsamic vinaigrette is also really good.
Friday is takeout, and Ted cooks on the weekend, so I believe I am all set. This is more planning than I generally do, and only time will tell if I stick to it or not.

I had a lovely weekend…Friday, Mulder and I started out by dropping Maya off to work, and then we had a nice walk downtown. I like our little downtown, and it’s fun to walk around before the shops open, as it is much quieter. We had to stay until shops opened at 10:00, because I had a return to make. My town is very dog friendly, and most stores will allow you to bring your dog inside, and Mulder is always extremely popular. While we were wandering and waiting, Ted’s mom called and asked me if I wanted to have lunch with her. Um, yes please! So after we finished our errands, I came home and got ready, and then we (I brought Mulder) drove the 20 minutes to her house. Mulder stayed at the house with Ted’s dad, and my MIL and I went out for a delicious lunch. Mulder LOVES their back yard, which is big and has grass and lots of interesting things to smell, and he loves to run around and bark at things. We went to a place that Ted and his mom go to semi-regularly, but I hadn’t been to before, Smith’s Landing. We had a table right by the water, and got to see a group of 5th graders going out on a science boat to learn about the Delta, as well as a couple of large ships making their way from the inland port in Stockton out to the ocean under the Golden Gate. It was lovely.

What else? Well, I watched one of my favorite movies on HBO yesterday, Before Sunset. Have you seen this series of movies? There are 3 films, starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. In the first movie, Before Sunrise, Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) meet on a train going to Vienna. He is American, she is French, and it is the mid-1990s. She is on her way to Paris (I think), and he has to catch a flight from Vienna back to the US, and does not have money to stay in a hotel, so is planning to walk around Vienna all night. They are young and why the hell not, so she joins him. They walk and talk and eat a bit and fall in love. At the end of the film, she gets on her train, and they promise to meet in Vienna again in 6 months. In Before Sunset, it is 9 years later. They did not meet in Vienna as planned, nor did they exchange phone numbers, so they have lost track. Celine is living in Paris, and Jesse is now an author, there on a book tour. More walking and talking happens. This is my favorite of the 3 films. The third film, Before Midnight, takes place in 2013, and Jesse and Celine are on vacation with their children in Greece. They are at a bit of a crossroads, with Jesse wanting to move to Chicago to be nearer his son (with his first wife), and Celine contemplating a job with the French government. I wrote a review when it came out (again, the picture doesn’t work, sorry – clearly I am neglectful of my blog when pictures go awry.) I suspect I will be watching the first and third installments as well, while they are available on HBO.

Last note, then I need to get to the store or we won’t have anything for dinner. I am currently reading a book with an interesting premise, ‘The Midnight Library‘. The premise is interesting, sort of parallel lives or quantum physics. When you die, you find yourself in your own library, with a seemingly infinite number of books. One book is your life as you lived it, and the others all branch off from different decisions that you make. The protagonist, Nora, has a lot of regrets about how she chose to live her life. She feels as though she has made bad decision after bad decision. Now she has the chance to see how her life might have turned out, if she had made different choices. If you are in one of these other realities, and discover that that particular option would not have been any better, if you have regrets about that choice, you pop back to the library. So far she’s gone through 2 or three decisions, some larger than others. I’m enjoying it.

OK, that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed your weekend, that Monday is kind, and that you have your dinner figured out by now…

Intention vs. Accountability

Posted on February 8, 2023 by J

There are things that I intend to do, or not do, but then things fall apart when faced with reality, and I fail on my intention. I have an ongoing issue with my love for potato chips. I do not intend to eat them practically every day. I don’t keep them in the house, usually, because if they are here I will eat them. Especially if they are Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips, or sometimes, Doritos. So I start out my day just fine, but then I go to the grocery store on my lunch hour, and I get to the check out line, and there they are. Somehow, magically, they end up in my cart. And I’m buying just the little single serving size (because whatever size bag I buy is pretty much a single serving, I’m sorry to say (OK, not a party size, that would take me a couple of days…)), so I’m spending an extra $1.50 – $2.50, when I could buy a big ‘sharing size’ (ha!) for just a bit more. It’s stupid. And I really need to change this behavior. I’m getting older, and my body is no longer thrilled with my junk food proclivities. I mean, it was probably never thrilled with that, but the chickens are coming home to roost a bit more lately. So.

I am trying a very old school solution. I don’t want to give up my daily trips to the grocery store, I enjoy that. Instead, I’m adding a negative to my daily ‘to do’ list. Instead of only listing things I am going to do, I have also listed a thing I am NOT going to do. My list up there shows a pretty productive morning. I did my yoga, took Mulder for his walk, came home, had a meeting for work, took a shower, took him to the vet, did some more work stuff (not really listed), and then eventually went to the grocery store. And because I had ‘no chips or popcorn’ on my list, I didn’t buy any chips! Yay me! I added the popcorn to that item, because I am sometimes known to have popcorn for lunch. That’s OK once in awhile, but I don’t want it to turn into a daily habit and just replace the chip habit.

Today is day 2 of me being accountable to myself and my ‘to do (not do)’ list, and so far, it is going swimmingly.

PS – Mulder’s vet visit today was his first follow up post chemotherapy, and it went swimmingly as well! He is doing GREAT. Fabulous news.

Meatless Monday – Garlicky Spinach and Chickpea Soup

Posted on February 6, 2023 by J

Somehow I seem to have subscribed to receive recipes from the Washington Post via email. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it brought me this recipe last week. Since you need some sort of subscription to access the recipe there (it may be free, just sign up to receive their emails I think, which is likely how I ended up with it). (UPDATE: Clearly my memory is deeply flawed. I just realized that I did not receive this recipe in an email from Washington Post, I saw it on Suzanne’s blog, Life of a Doctor’s Wife.) I did a search and found the recipe on the PureWow website. Both WP and PW give full credit to a new cookbook, The Mediterranean Dish. The recipe looked right up my alley, so I decided to give it a try. It’s a definite WIN, delicious and healthy. If you decide to make it, don’t forget the lemon and the cheese at the end, they kind of made the dish. Now I’m considering buying the cookbook, though one thing I do NOT need in my life is more cookbooks. But if all of the recipes are as good as this one, it might be worth finding room for it around here. In the meantime, I will likely poke around the author’s website, as it looks like she has some pretty delicious recipes there. I used more spinach than it called for, and I used both pecorino romano and parmigiano reggiano cheeses, as I had them both already. Otherwise I stuck with the recipe. It’s a brothy soup, not thick like a stew. We had some leftover sausage and just a bit of chicken in the fridge, I put those in Ted’s bowl of soup to make up for him not getting any bread. This recipe is pretty adaptable. Don’t like cooked spinach? Use a green you do like. I had extra arugula, so used some arugula and some spinach. Don’t like garlic? Leave it out. Vegan? Skip the cheese (though I really liked the cheese on top, perhaps my vegan friends might know of a substitute). You could probably even substitute cannellini beans for the chickpeas. Whatever floats your boat.

Garlicky Spinach and Chickpea Soup

Ingredients

Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped

4 or 5 large garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¾ teaspoon sweet paprika

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups vegetable stock or low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach (2 to 3 ounces)

½ cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 large lemon, cut in half

½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Drain the chickpeas, reserving ½ cup of their liquid.

2. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and season with a big pinch of salt (about ½ teaspoon). Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes and black pepper and cook, stirring regularly for about 30 seconds.

3. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat with the spices. Using a potato masher or the back of a sturdy fork, roughly mash the chickpeas (you’re just looking to break some of them up).

4. Add the stock and the reserved chickpea liquid. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partly cover the pot with the lid. Simmer the chickpeas for 30 minutes.

5. Turn the heat off. Stir in the spinach and parsley, and let the soup sit for 1 minute, until the spinach wilts. Squeeze half a lemon over the soup, stir and taste, adding more lemon juice to your liking.

6. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and top each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Serve with crusty bread.

Thursday 13 – Boob Tube Edition

Posted on February 2, 2023 by J

We watch a lot of TV around here. Many weeknights see us plopped down in front of the boob tube watching reruns of something or another (Currently it’s ‘The Office’, though we are almost finished) while we have dinner. We used to eat at the table, and sometimes we still do, but most nights we don’t. Who knows why. After dinner, Maya does the dishes and then goes upstairs to get ready for bed. She gets up early on workdays, and likes a good 9 hours of sleep if she can manage it. Ted and I stay up for a couple more hours, and watch TV or, once in awhile, a movie. In case you are looking for something to watch, here are our shows – and sadly, I think every one of them is streaming, none are on Network TV. We did really enjoy This is Us, but that is the only network show I can think of that we have watched in the last year or two. We even watch our local weather on YouTube. So here, in no particular order, are 13 shows that we have been watching over the last I don’t know how many months. Clearly not all are current. And yes, we pay too much for streaming.

The Last of Us (HBO) This is a zombie show, based on a very popular video game. Maya played the game and was very excited to watch. Ted and I didn’t care, but were game to give it a try. Ted was a fan of The Walking Dead for the first several seasons, but eventually got bored with it. So the first 2 episodes of The Last of Us were good, but the 3rd episode was phenomenal. Truly lovely TV.
Kindred (Hulu) I read the book by Octavia Butler a couple of years ago, and I loved it. The story is of a black woman who has recently moved to Los Angeles, and suddenly finds herself time traveling (against her will) back to a plantation in the antebellum south. The TV show varies from the book in the relationships involved, which serves to alter some of the motivations. I don’t think this is a bad thing. Kindred has been renewed for a 2nd season, which is a good thing, since season 1 only got us through about the first 1/3 of the book.
Poker Face (Peacock) This is a new murder mystery (murder of the week perhaps) by the director of Knives Out. Mostly it reminded Ted and me of a modern day Columbo. The main character, Charlie, can tell whether people are lying or telling the truth, simply by looking at their face. The first episode (the only one we have seen so far) has her starting out in Las Vegas, and things go south pretty quickly. I’m not a big fan of the genre, not sure if we will stick with this one or not. But it’s entertaining and well written, so we may.
Shrinking (Apple TV) Wow, we really do have a lot of streaming services. We have only seen the first episode thus far, but we liked it. Here’s the official blurb: ‘A grieving therapist starts to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge changes to people’s lives – including his own.’ Stars Jason Segal and Harrison Ford.
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) I liked this show, but it is completely in Ted’s wheelhouse. He loves Steve Martin and Martin Short, and finds them hilarious.
Wednesday (Netflix) We enjoyed watching this. Funny and well done. Here’s the blurb: ‘Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.’
Star Trek – Strange New Worlds (Paramount) Ted loves the Star Trek universe (and Star Wars, we love the shows on Disney+ expanding that franchise), and found this show to be very inventive. Perhaps his favorite series, though it has a LOT of company. I’ll confess that a lot of the time when we’re watching TV in the evening, I don’t pay close attention, I am reading your blogs or playing games on my iPad. But the episodes that I saw of this were really good.
The White Lotus (HBO) There are two seasons thus far. Both are located at fabulous resorts with wealthy clientele, and begin with dead bodies being discovered. We then go back a week in time to the arrival of a group of guests (Fantasy Island murder mystery?) and learn more about them, as well as the staff of the hotels. The first season is in Maui, the second is in Sicily. Both are gorgeous, and star the amazing Jennifer Coolidge, though hers is the only character in both seasons.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu) Not new by any means, but we are hooked on this show, and look forward to the next (final) season.
House of the Dragon (HBO) This is the prequel to Game of Thrones, and tells the story of House Targaryen, 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones. Maya has read the books, and liked this show more than Ted and I did. I thought it was OK, but didn’t really love it. If you’re a GoT fan, and want to see all things related to that world, then give it a try.
Hacks (HBO) The story of an unlikely friendship between a legendary comedian fighting to stay relevant in an era of cancel culture, and her young, entitled writer. This was well done, and if there is a season 3, I’m sure we’ll watch it. But it’s not something I think about when it’s not on.
Stranger Things – Netflix – Ted and Maya both loved Stranger Things from the get go. I found the first season too scary. But I got more into it in the second season, and then went back and watched the first season, and now I’m as hooked as they are.
Fleishman is in Trouble (Hulu) This is another one that Ted watched, and I kind of watched. I am sometimes too hooked on reading blogs or Facebook or whatever to pay attention to the TV. Not that one is better or worse than the other, but when I miss a good show, yet was in the room when it was on, I feel kind of dumb. This is one of those shows. What I do know is that it is about a recently divorced couple, the husband’s explorations of dating apps, and the wife’s mental illness issues. What I saw of it was really good.
Bonus shows – The Patient (Hulu) and Inventing Anna (Netflix) The Patient is the story of a psychiatrist and his patient. His patient is a psychopathic killer who wants to stop killing, and he kidnaps his therapist and keeps him hostage in his basement. Very good. I started watching it before I went to France, and watched it when I got back, but we couldn’t get Hulu to work while we were there, so I didn’t see the episodes that I missed. Which is stupid because it’s streaming, and of course I could watch them at any time. But I didn’t and then once I got to the end, the ‘what’s going to happen’ angle was gone. Inventing Anna, my cousin and I watched in France, because Carey had started watching it and wanted to see the rest, and because Netflix did work in France. It is based on a true story about a young woman that convinces the elite class in New York that she is a German heiress, and that they should give her money (short term, of course, because she is crazy wealthy) to invest in her business plans, and she will make them all rich(er). It was OK, but her accent was truly weird. I don’t know if that’s how the person the story is based on really talked or not, but it didn’t sound like any German person I have ever heard. (Any of my German friends seen this? What did you think of the accent?)

How about you? Do you watch too much TV, like we do? What are you watching that I’m missing?

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